Though often sterotyped, erroneously, as the "dumb blonde," Marilyn Monroe was actually anything but, and, posessessed of a probing intellect was always seeking to develop her mind—as amply demonstrated by her personal library, which is known to have been full of philosophy and literature, and also her similarly wide-ranging record collection. Though the exact, individual tracklists or artist titles were never publicly itemized as a complete, comprehensive inventory, the entire collection was famously cataloged and sold as a single lot—Lot 327—during the landmark 1999 Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe auction held by Christie's, for $14, 950. record collection comprising approximately 48 assorted classical music records including vocalists and instrumentals in "a russet case with small lock and handle." Though the exact contents were never made public, she is known to have enjoyed listening to Vivaldi Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, among others. Those who worked closely with her also noted that she used classical music and jazz to help her relax and find emotional depth between takes.
On Friday afternoon's Classical Music with Foley Schuler—in honor of Marilyn Monroe's centennial earlier this week—we'll listen to the screen icon's personal classical music favorites, as well as a suite Alex North's score to her final film, The Misfits, directed by John Huston and written by her then husband, playwright Arthur Miller, as their marriage was dissolving. Playing Roslyn Taber, she delivered a raw, melancholic, and deeply personal dramatic performance that stands as one of her finest. In the years since her death in 1962 (a year after that final film's release), her life has also inspired several operas. We'll also hear music from the first attempt at grappling with the Marilyn Monroe mythology, the 1980 opera, Marilyn, by Lorenzo Ferrero, Commissioned for the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and interweaving Monroe's decline and mysterious death with key American historical events, such as the McCarthy era and the Korean War.
You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon on Blue Lake Public Radio.
